Morality In Music

Recently my son said something about music that really got me to thinking:

I feel sorry for people who say that drums and guitars with full bodied choirs and orchestras—often music with much personality and deep emotion—is not acceptable. They are missing out on some of the most beautiful expressions of love and emotion that we has humans can bring to our maker. I firmly believe that music—all kinds of music—is the life blood of the universe and (along with mathematics) a universal language.

Music That Has Blessed Me

All of the genres of music that have blessed and taught me over the years came back to me as I thought about what my son had said. I knew what he was talking about. Many morally object to the passionate music that has spiritually nurtured me. When I talk with God about why, He only smiles and reminds me of how important it is to offer grace to those who don’t see life the same as I do.

We’re Not Alone

My son and I are not alone on our musical journey. David Asscherick shares and explains our experience:

Drums are not evil, bad, or otherwise possessed, no matter their physical configurations (e.g. a single drum versus a multi-drum trap set). Neither is any other instrument (that I know of). Scripture has nothing to say in terms of endorsing one particular genre of music above another as somehow sacred, holy, or preferred. I find no definitively clear prescriptions (or prescriptions for that matter) in Scripture or Ellen White regarding rhythm, syncopation, pace, harmony, or style. Neither treats the subject of music in a systematic way.

Music is wonderfully varied, from bluegrass to classical to folk to Celtic and much more beyond. Moreover, we have no idea, for example, what David’s music—composed in Palestine’s ancient pastures—sounded like. God could have prescribed a particular style or type of music had he so desired—music with certain pace, choice of instruments, lyrical content, and/or rhythmic profile, but He didn’t. I believe at least part of the reason for this is seen in the natural world, whether with birds, insects, fish, plants, or people; God seems to value variety, and value it highly.

It is encouraging that the scriptures can be interpreted to support the experience of my son and I.

Cultural Differences

There are marked cultural differences in how humans do music. Because of this, many who attempt to limit moral music to a particular culture or style run into trouble. In fact, there are those within the Christian church who would condemn the kind of music that Jesus listened to in Jewish culture. A friend of mine, Beverly Jean Rumble, had this to say about her experience in the Seventh-day Adventist church:

In Adventism there has been a notable preference for European and American music—classical, patriotic, and folk songs (old hymns)—and a distaste for the music of other cultures, races, and people groups. When I was copy editing music curriculum for the NAD about 1990 or so, I noticed that all of the music was either American or European, mostly performance music, and did not include songs sung by various peoples as they worked and played and that were part of their cultural identity (slaves, Africans, etc.). Not only did the church fail to examine the uses of music in propping up cultural stereotypes and bigotry, but it also failed to even touch on the different rhythms and musical styles from other parts of the world—and totally ignored the development of jazz and rock in the 20th century.

Why is understanding of the backbeat so unevenly distributed? America has resisted the backbeat for moralistic reasons that conceal racist and classist attitudes. The backbeat and its associated music styles have been considered throughout their history to be disreputable, low-class, primitive, and barbaric, even perceived as threatening the moral fabric of society entirely. This is not surprising, given the backbeat’s origins in the music of marginalized groups: African-Americans, rural whites, and immigrants.

There are good moral reasons for my reticence to malign different genres of Christian music, particularly those with a backbeat. Indeed, after looking at the issue more closely, it is extremely likely that the fundamentalist Christian rejection of the backbeat has deeper roots in racism, bigotry, and prejudice than it does in morality.

A Bedlam of Noise: A Little Perspective

Morality as described by Ellen White has a big impact on many Seventh-day Adventists. Consequently, I found the common sense in David Asscherick’s comments on Ellen White and music refreshing, especially his remarks on her oft-quoted statement on “a bedlam of noise” in Selected Messages 33:

Ellen White’s additional and inspired commentary on music is never, so far as I am aware, out of harmony with the principles of scripture. Her applications are often appropriately contemporary (bicycles, tobacco, saloons, etc.), but the principles never run against the grain of sola Scriptura.

Music was not Ellen White’s primary concern, much less its rhythm or its use of drums. We know this because shortly after writing the “bedlam of noise” statement and having five or six months to prepare her remarks for a GC session, she mentions nothing to the GC about rhythm, drums, tambourines, etc. Nothing. Furthermore, this is the only place she ever writes about drums. Let that sink in. She speaks more, by far, about pickles, pepper, and mustard in her voluminous writings than she does about drums. We must appreciate the force of the (lack of) evidence. But what’s more, when we turn to scripture, we find nothing that would indicate some kind of prescription against percussive instruments (or certain rhythms or styles of music).

Quite the opposite, actually, we find express endorsements of such instruments (Psalm 150 comes to mind). As far as I can tell from my searches, Ellen White never used the word ‘rhythm’ and had very nearly nothing to say about drums. This truly is more about culture and tradition— even bigotry and prejudice—than morality.

Negative Associations

Some have bad associations with some styles (genres) of music. Many have told me that they are sure that certain genres of music are bad because they associate them with a secular concert or a bar where they were used to glorify evil. They associate these musical genres with a time in their lives when they were in rebellion against God. However, though their associations may have ruined that genre of music for them, I don’t have those associations. For the most part, evil lyrics and the intention of the composer and performer are what make music bad, not genre. There is a vast difference in music within the same genre, depending on who composes and performs it: a heart that loves God or a rebellious heart.

Our Communities Need Balance and Kindness In Music

Though there are few musical genres that are holier than others, there are principles on how we should balance music in our communities that I believe we should better observe. These are principles that are most important for the youth to understand. Ravi Zacharias explains:

In forms (of music) we will differ, but we should never corrupt the substance. The substance of what you sing about must always be pointing people to the truth. Those of us in the older generation need to realize how powerful music is for the young, but those who are young need to remember that music is a carrier of memories. If we in our churches forget the older ones, those whose memories have been bathed in certain kinds of songs, and we forget singing those songs, we are amputating them from the past and that is a cruel thing to do to one who wants to live with the memory of all that has gone on in their lives. So our churches need balance in understanding the music for the young and the memories for the elderly and bring together the kind of music that will connect the present to the future. Because if forget those in their senior years, when the turn comes for the youth—30-40 years from now—and they are forgotten too, it will be a very painful experience. Music should be a connecter to memories and retain the substance of truth.

Morality In Music

All of us interpret our world according to our experiences, culture, and training. Consequently, no two of us will have the same instincts and tastes when it comes to music. The Bible prohibits no genre in music. Instead, it gives us touchstones to compare our songs against, such as Philippians 4:8. This is not something one person can do for another, and we need to exercise respect and offer grace to those who come to different understandings.

Music is intensely personal and has a powerful influence in most of our lives. Its purpose is to tell the truth, inspire, encourage, express individuality and life, and bind us together. Music that does these things is moral music.